Pakistan appoints first ever female Hindu civil judge

At a time, when Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the Centre is pushing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian from neighbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan; for the first time in the history of Pakistan, a Hindu female has been appointed as the country’s civil judge.

Suman Kumari, who passed the examination of judicial officers, will serve in her native district – Qambar-Shahdadkot under Sindh province. Notably, passed her LLB examination from Hyderabad and later pursued her masters degree from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology University in Karachi. Her father is an eye specialist. After being appointed as the civil judge, Suman Kumari said, “I want to provide free legal assistance to the poor in my native district.”

According to Pakistan’s official data, approximately 1.85 percent of the country’s populations are Hindus. Prior to Suman, Justice Rana Bhagwandas was the first male judge from the Hindu community in Pakistan.